


Imagine the X-Men discussing and tracking down an extremely powerful mutant—You—that can replicate powers and create new ones, whom Erik falls in love with.

by forestofmyown



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Astral Projection, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Other, Precognition, Reader-Insert, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 08:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4052944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forestofmyown/pseuds/forestofmyown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted on tumblr:  http://imaginexmen.tumblr.com/post/101964516024/title-a-glimpse-characters-erik-lehnsherr</p>
    </blockquote>





	Imagine the X-Men discussing and tracking down an extremely powerful mutant—You—that can replicate powers and create new ones, whom Erik falls in love with.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr: http://imaginexmen.tumblr.com/post/101964516024/title-a-glimpse-characters-erik-lehnsherr

Erik storms into the sitting room off to the less trafficked side of the Mansion, the one that usually is left empty and unused because it’s so out of the way. It is not empty now.

Charles is laid out on the couch, icepack on his forehead and Hank bouncing around the room, doing who knows what with his science stuff. Logan marches past Erik and leans against the back wall, silent and apparently unworried—a good sign.

“What happened?” Erik asks immediately, stopping short of rushing to his friend’s side.

Charles laughs, turning his head to look up at the new arrival. “I have found perfection.”

The profound announcement is met with an eye roll from Logan. Hank sighs.

“He found a mutant today with Cerebro so powerful it blew the system—and Charles, by extension. He was out for a good ten minutes.”

“And now I have a killer headache.” Charles adds, tapping his icepack with one finger. “But that mutant, Erik, that mutant. I couldn’t tell who they were or anything about them, but they felt me. And the powers I was picking up from them—simple firestarting—suddenly morphed into telepathic abilities and completely threw me out. Expelled my mind with such power-”

“It blew Cerebro, I got that.”

“But Erik, that person did not have telepathic abilities when I picked them up with my mind. None at all. And then the firestarting abilities changed, somehow, and were gone! Telepathy in their place. It was unlike anything I’ve ever felt in a mutant before. Think of it, Erik!” Charles sat up at this, obviously far too excited for his own good, if Hank’s immediate presence at his side was any indication. “A mutant that can change powers at will. What base abilities would they have? Is this power limited, or can they do it as much and as often as they like? Can they only cycle between certain powers, or can they literally create more abilities? The potential could be limitless!”

“If their power is as extensive as you are supposing.” Erik emphasizes, taking a few steps just to be doing something while his mind tried to wrap itself around the awe in Charles’ voice, the hope such a mutant could provide for their kind.

“I felt it, Erik.” Charles insists, eyes intense and locked on him. “I’ve never felt a mutant so powerful. I wouldn’t put anything past an ambility like that. That’s why I sent Logan to find you. Erik, we need you on this one. This mutant could change the world.”

Erik watches in silence for a moment, weighing, then simply says, “We have to find them.”

Charles grins, tossing the icepack aside.

Well, that was an interesting conversation to follow, you think, waving away the scene you’d just watched from the surface of the water you’d been staring at. The fountain by the park had been the closest place to use this kind of ability, and you figured watching this way was better than, say, sending your consciousness to the invader in some form to spy on him when he was a telepath. Can a telepath read the mind of an astralprojected consciousness? You don’t know, and sizing up a potential threat isn’t the time to test it.

Charles and Erik, eh? They looked like they were in some kind of private school. But are these people dangerous?

Fellow mutants, definitely. The idea excites you. You don’t exactly run into them often. You keep your abilities to yourself as best you can, for your own protection and the protection of those you most certainly could hurt if you had to defend yourself, and help others in secret. Your home town is gaining quite the reputation for the local pro-mutant vigilante that you’ve become.

Do you trust these mutants? Should you run.

You sigh. A quick peak into the future might help you make up your mind …

It’s not something you like to do. Trying to see the future is confusing and dangerous in and of itself. But, usually, quick peaks don’t hurt anything.

Twisting and turning and changing the energy inside you, that extra sense that you know governs your mutant abilities, you reform the familiar pattern of future-sight, and with a slight pinch of shock in your brain, you trigger a little vision.

It’s that Erik fellow. Standing proud, tall, and smiling. Offering you a hand. Then more.

Passion. Kisses. Hunger. Heat.

Charles is there, gentle. He’s surrounded by others, children and adults and powers beyond imagining.

There’s hope, family, love.

The absence of Erik, however, is jarring.

There’s fire. Darkness. But that’s later. That’s not this, not now, that what’s important.

Closer to the present, closer but still a bit away, is the enveloping embrace, the swish of a purple cape, so much pain but also so much joy.

You let the vision go with a pop and almost collapse on the spot. You can feel your body shake, your heart pound, and that profound sense of loss once more.

Friends, then. Let them come.

And come they do. When the one called Charles comes probing for you mind again, you keep your thoughts to yourself but do nothing to stop him from knowing where you are. Within a few days, they knock on your door.

You answer it to find Charles’ smiling face looking up at you from his wheelchair. The other three are standing behind him, trying not to look threatening, you expect (Logan is failing). It’s hard to keep your eyes off of Erik.

“Hello, I’m-”

“Charles, I know.” You smile to try and soften how blunt that sounded. “Come on in.”

You lead the perplexed looking group to the living room, where they spread out for the most part. Charles seems to be the only true socialite among them.

“Do you know who all of us are, then?” Logan asks. It sounds more like a dig than an actual question.

“I know you’re Logan, he’s Hank, he’s Erik-” You swallow involuntarily and quickly look away. “And Charles here, of course. But those are just names.”

“I run a school for children of the next evolutionary step,” Charles says. “And a haven for adults of the same.”

You nod. “Mutants. Like us.”

Gesturing around the room, Hank and Logan both shift uncomfortably. Erik is watching you like a hawk. It sends a shiver up your spine you have to fight to suppress.

Your eyes go back to Charles. “And you want me. I’m powerful. You think I’m important somehow.”

Slowly, Charles nods. “Yes. Powerful mutants could potentially be targets. Fear is a powerful driver. Your abilities could be used to help foster good relations, however, and protect our kind.”

“And if it comes to a war between mutants and humans,” Erik pipes in. “You may be our best hope of survival.”

Charles doesn’t look at Erik, only stares straight ahead at you, and says firmly, “It won’t.”

And there it is. Why Erik had to be “called” when Charles saw you. This is a temporary truce of two very different opinions about how the future will turn out. This is why the future showed you Charles, surrounded by students and bathed in light, without Erik.

Is it your future to stand in that light too, and suffer that emptiness, the crippling pain that was the loss of Erik? Who even is this man, that his loss hurts you so much?

A future lover, it would seem by what you saw … and felt. Are still feeling.

Goodness, did you somehow take the feelings of being in love from your future back with you into the now? Is that possible?

There is also darkness. And fire. Did you see a war, then? For all of Charles’ hope, is that what’s in store?

Your head aches. You should never have looked into the future at all.

“I’ll go with you.” You finally say. Charles’ face lights up.

“But,” you continue, watching with an odd humor as it falls again. “Only if he sticks around.”

You nod towards Erik, you raises his brows curiously.

“I’ve made no opinions about what I’ll do if a war breaks out between humans and mutants.” You explain. “But I know you two will be the leaders of whatever movements will follow. I want to hear from both of you so I can make an informed decision.”

And, you think, I want a chance to see if this really is the man I’ll love. And who’ll love me.

Charles is unhappy but understanding of your decision. Erik seems put out by having to live and interact with Charles again, and it’s obvious their relationship is strained. Sometimes they seem to be the best of friends, on the same wavelength and totally in sync. Other times, they couldn’t be more different, and their opposing views cause more than one fight to echo through the Mansion halls.

There’s a deep sadness there. You try to stay out of it, but at the same time …

You’re curious. About Erik.

He’s handsome, of that there isn’t ever a doubt. Intelligent, too, determined, resourceful, thoughtful, blunt, and arrogant. But also so deeply, deeply sad.

Somehow, you find that a lot of your time is devoted, not to training like it should be, but to making Erik smile. Getting him to laugh at least once every day becomes a goal, and soon enough people learn you can be found on Erik’s heels at almost all times, curled up in the library with stacks of books, discussing fiction critically or pouring over social issues, playing chess or practicing with your abilities, testing your limits, or just goofing around in the kitchen.

It worries Charles. You know it does. So you make sure to still come to him, still ask him questions, still assure him you’re attachment to Erik is a personal one, and doesn’t reflect any decision you’ve made on the whole “war” business. That’s a very troubling topic, and you do realize your powers could be a great asset to whoever you decided to use them for. But it’s hard to make that decision when you know you’re biased on a purely emotional level for Erik as a man, no matter his stance.

You want to be with him.

Whether he wants to be with you or not remains to be seen.

Oh, Erik has expressed interest. But Erik being a flirt—albeit a very suave one—is a well known fact (Charles, apparently, has a similar if not worse reputation that he’s apparently begun to temper) so you don’t put much stock in the casual day to day flirting between the two of you. You wish you could. You wish you could trust that your little glimpse into the future meant he’ll love you, too. But you’d gotten no knowledge of that. Only of your feelings, and a shared passion that could very well just be physical. Not something you’re extremely opposed to, per se, but …

It’s becoming painfully obvious to you that you are, in fact, in love with him. And him not feeling the same …

You try not to think about it. At the same time, you try not to get your hopes up, either.

It’s hard not to, though, when you find yourself in situations like the one you’re in now: laid out on the grass in the yard, back against a tree, out of sight of the Mansion and with Erik’s head in your lap. You keep running your fingers through his hair while he breathes slowly, having fallen asleep some time ago while you were discussing politics. It’s getting dark, and your thighs feel uncomfortable, but you wouldn’t move if someone set the forest on fire.

When his eyes do finally open again, the light has all but gone and you can see the Mansion’s lit windows through the trees.

Erik looks up at the starry sky, then at you, and smiles. “You spoil me.”

You grin. “Remember that later. If you’re ever mad at me or something.”

“How could I ever be mad at you?”

He really looks like he means it. His eyes are big, his expression soft, his smile sweet.

Quietly, you ask, “What if I decided to side with Charles?”

“I’d miss you.”

You breath hitches in your throat, and you have to swallow thickly to reply. “I’d miss you too.”

Erik sits up, putting a hand on the ground to lean on so he can watch your face. “Y/N, no matter your choice, I’ll still care about you. That won’t change. But I believe in this cause, and I won’t give it up for anything. I want you to have that same devotion, otherwise you are no good to anyone, no matter whose side you are on. I believe Charles is wrong. But I wouldn’t have someone who doesn’t believe in him by his side. He might live through the war yet. But not with half-hearted followers at his side. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes.”

“Choose a cause, Y/N, not a friend.”

“I know that.” You snap. “If I didn’t, I simply would have left with you ages ago.”

Another of those gentle smiles spreads across his face.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Erik.”

That smile goes all the way to his eyes. They practically shine in the dark.

“I’m glad. It had worried me that … if you felt for me the way I feel for you, it would affect your decision.”

Now you really can’t breathe. Everything feels like it’s stopped, and all you can think is finally.

“It won’t.” It’s all you can manage to spit out.

His free hand touches your cheek lightly, a single finger running down you jawline. It settles on your chin, taking it in his hand, as his thumb reaches up to caress your bottom lip.

He pulls you closer.

And kisses you.


End file.
